Katyayani: The Sixth Goddess Of Navratri

The sixth form of Goddess Durga is known as Katyayani. She is worshipped on the sixth day of Navratri. Katyayani is one of the most violent form of Goddess Durga. She was born to slay the tyrannical demon king, Mahishasura.

This form of Durga is seated on a magnificent lion. Her complexion is golden and Her face is radiant with divinity. She has four hands. In one hand She carries a sword and in another hand She has a lotus. Rest of the two hands are depicted as giving blessings to the devotees. If one worships Her with full faith and devotion then the Goddess blesses him/her with four objects- Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.

Story Of Goddess Katyayani

The Goddess is called Katyayani because She was born as the daughter of sage Katya. According to the scriptures sage Katya went through a tough penance to get Goddess Durga as his daughter. Pleased with the sage's penance, the Goddess took birth as his daughter and so She was named Katyayani.

Meanwhile the demon king Mahishasura was creating havoc for the the Gods as well as the humans. He was blessed with a boon of being killed only by a female power. Thinking that no woman had the power to kill a powerful demon like him, he thought himself to be immortal.

Tired of his tyrannical behaviour, the Trinity- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva prayed to Goddess Katyayani. They decked Her up with all the weapons and She set out to kill the demon king. After a furious war of three days, the Goddess finally killed Mahishasura on the tenth day of Vijayadashami.

It is believed that the Goddess consistently fights against the bad and negative forces. She is a loving daughter but she rises in anger to defend when the lines of righteousness is crossed.

Another interesting thing about the Goddess is that the Gopis of Braja worshipped Her to get Krishna as their husband. Hence Goddess Katyayani is the chief deity of the Braja area. It is said that the Goddess fulfills all the wishes of Her devotees when worshipped with faith and devotion.